The NRL has defended a photo of two female rugby league players from opposing teams kissing following the women’s inaugural State of Origin match at North Sydney Oval.

The image of NSW player Vanessa Foliaki and Queenslander Karina Brown embracing after the Blues 16-10 victory received a mixed response after it was shared by the NRL and Women's Rugby League on Facebook.

Fans expressed themselves in the comments section with one critical supporter copping this response from the NRL.

"Welcome to 2018... can't wait for you to join us!".

There were also suggestions that the NRL went overboard and sexualised the game by sharing the photo.

(AAP)

Blues celebrate. (AAP)

The NRL hit back, declaring,"If we can post a [photo] of Cooper Cronk and his wife Tara kissing, then we can share a photo of Karina Brown and Ness Foliaki sharing a moment too”.

Others chose to highlight how much the game had changed over the years, with one fan asking, “how can someone kiss a Queenslander?"

Foliaki and Brown have been together since 2014 and have both played for the Jillaroos.

In the lead up to the match, both players admitted to giving the other the silent treatment in an attempt to focus on the match.

The first ever female State of Origin match was a TV ratings success with over a million people tuning in across the country.

The Nine network had more than 839,000 people watching the match at peak times nationwide.